Religion is and has been a very important aspect of Samoan culture. Prior to the arrival of missionaries Samoa had a complex polytheistic religion, which differentiated between non-human (Atua) and human (Aitu) gods, and which also incorporated elements of ancestor worship. Much of the world had different opinions as to what specific religion the Samoans worshiped. Because there were no outward signs of religion, as there were in other Polynesian cultures, they were commonly mistaken to be godless. The Samoan religion however contained the seeds of it's own destruction because the war goddess (Nafanua) had prophesied that there would come a new religion which would end the rule of the old gods. This prophesy, combined with the fact that the Samoan religion, which was perfectly suited for an isolated pacific community, was unable to cope with the new world view that arose once the Europeans had arrived, made the Samoans easy pickings for the first missionaries that arrived.
In 1830, John Williams of the London Missionary Society arrived at Sapapalii in his ship the, Messenger of Peace, with 8 Tahitian and Rarotogan teachers. Here he was met by Malietoa Vainu'upo, a direct descendent of the recipient of Nafanua's prophesy. When Williams returned to Samoa in 1832 he found that Malietoa had managed to obtain, through battle, the title tafa'iafa (Four-In-One), the highest ranking chief in Samoa, and that he had also become a Christian. The eight teachers had also been well looked after and were sent out to spread the word through rest of Samoa. Before long hymn books and prayer books and been printed in Samoan and in 1848, the first Samoan version of the New Testament was printed, followed by a Samoan version of the Old Testament in 1855.
John Williams was not actually the first missionary to arrive in Samoa nor the first person to teach Christianity. Beachcombers and shipwrecks had been living in Samoa from the late 1700's, and had been teaching Christianity in a haphazard form, and a few Samoans had already been converted to Christianity. In 1828 Peter Turner, a Methodist missionary, visited Samoa and found that there were already Methodists in the Islands. Methodists had an established mission in Tonga and because of family ties between Samoa and Tonga the religion had spread. Turner did not set up a mission, but returned to do so in 1835 with a number of Tongan teachers, and reported that there were about 2,000 Samoans interested in becoming Methodists. However in 1838, it was decided to withdraw Turner and leave Samoa to the London Missionary Society. It was not until 1857 that another Methodist mission was opened in Samoa.
Both the LMS and Methodists were forms of Protestantism and shared a common dread of the Catholic church gaining a presence in Samoa. Catholicism was the church of France and it had been observed in other islands that after the Catholic priests arrived, French traders would follow. Once the traders had settled they would then call for France to annex the territories, in her commerical interests. In Sepetember 1848, two Catholic priests arrived in Samoa with two Samoan men. After a somewhat shaky start they managed to find a village, Sale'aula, that was willing to accept them. Negative propaganda about the Catholic church had been spread by both the London Missionary Society and Methodists.
The arrival of new churches has continued in a stready stream through to the present day. In most villages you will encounter three or four, and in some cases more, churches of different denominations. When the missionaries first arrived payments of coconut oil were made in public to the churches. Samoan families used to compete with one another to see which could give the most, and although donations now tend to be of a monetary nature this practice still continues. As a result the churches and to a lesser extent the houses of the pastors tend to be the grandest buildings you will encounter in any village. Church attendance is very high, and as you drive around the islands on a Sunday you will come across hundreds of people walking to and from church in their Sunday best. Like other Pacific islands, Samoa is awash with many religions both traditional and contemporary, and it is a given that the predominant structure of every village, rich or poor, to be a church. The main religions in Samoa are Congregational, Catholic, Methodist, Assembly of God, Seven Day Adventist, Bahai, the Latter Day Saints and Jehovah's Witness. In 2007, Sunday observance is still widely adhered too. Families usually attend church in the mornings followed by an elaborate to'onai (lunch).
Samoan Religious Practices
Religion is and has been a very important aspect of Samoan culture. Prior to the arrival of missionaries Samoa had a complex polytheistic religion, which differentiated between non-human (Atua) and human (Aitu) gods, and which also incorporated elements of ancestor worship. Much of the world had different opinions as to what specific religion the Samoans worshiped. Because there were no outward signs of religion, as there were in other Polynesian cultures, they were commonly mistaken to be godless. The Samoan religion however contained the seeds of it's own destruction because the war goddess (Nafanua) had prophesied that there would come a new religion which would end the rule of the old gods. This prophesy, combined with the fact that the Samoan religion, which was perfectly suited for an isolated pacific community, was unable to cope with the new world view that arose once the Europeans had arrived, made the Samoans easy pickings for the first missionaries that arrived.
In 1830, John Williams of the London Missionary Society arrived at Sapapalii in his ship the, Messenger of Peace, with 8 Tahitian and Rarotogan teachers. Here he was met by Malietoa Vainu'upo, a direct descendent of the recipient of Nafanua's prophesy. When Williams returned to Samoa in 1832 he found that Malietoa had managed to obtain, through battle, the title tafa'iafa (Four-In-One), the highest ranking chief in Samoa, and that he had also become a Christian. The eight teachers had also been well looked after and were sent out to spread the word through rest of Samoa. Before long hymn books and prayer books and been printed in Samoan and in 1848, the first Samoan version of the New Testament was printed, followed by a Samoan version of the Old Testament in 1855.
John Williams was not actually the first missionary to arrive in Samoa nor the first person to teach Christianity. Beachcombers and shipwrecks had been living in Samoa from the late 1700's, and had been teaching Christianity in a haphazard form, and a few Samoans had already been converted to Christianity. In 1828 Peter Turner, a Methodist missionary, visited Samoa and found that there were already Methodists in the Islands. Methodists had an established mission in Tonga and because of family ties between Samoa and Tonga the religion had spread. Turner did not set up a mission, but returned to do so in 1835 with a number of Tongan teachers, and reported that there were about 2,000 Samoans interested in becoming Methodists. However in 1838, it was decided to withdraw Turner and leave Samoa to the London Missionary Society. It was not until 1857 that another Methodist mission was opened in Samoa.
Both the LMS and Methodists were forms of Protestantism and shared a common dread of the Catholic church gaining a presence in Samoa. Catholicism was the church of France and it had been observed in other islands that after the Catholic priests arrived, French traders would follow. Once the traders had settled they would then call for France to annex the territories, in her commerical interests. In Sepetember 1848, two Catholic priests arrived in Samoa with two Samoan men. After a somewhat shaky start they managed to find a village, Sale'aula, that was willing to accept them. Negative propaganda about the Catholic church had been spread by both the London Missionary Society and Methodists.
The arrival of new churches has continued in a stready stream through to the present day. In most villages you will encounter three or four, and in some cases more, churches of different denominations. When the missionaries first arrived payments of coconut oil were made in public to the churches. Samoan families used to compete with one another to see which could give the most, and although donations now tend to be of a monetary nature this practice still continues. As a result the churches and to a lesser extent the houses of the pastors tend to be the grandest buildings you will encounter in any village. Church attendance is very high, and as you drive around the islands on a Sunday you will come across hundreds of people walking to and from church in their Sunday best. Like other Pacific islands, Samoa is awash with many religions both traditional and contemporary, and it is a given that the predominant structure of every village, rich or poor, to be a church. The main religions in Samoa are Congregational, Catholic, Methodist, Assembly of God, Seven Day Adventist, Bahai, the Latter Day Saints and Jehovah's Witness. In 2007, Sunday observance is still widely adhered too. Families usually attend church in the mornings followed by an elaborate to'onai (lunch).